Kyleigh is a master’s student studying the ecology and population dynamics of short-finned pilot whales around Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. Her research, in collaboration with Cascadia Research Collective, uses photo-identification and spatial capture-recapture methods to establish abundance estimates for island-associated pilot whales, a data-limited population of management concern. By integrating boat-based surveys, individual sighting histories, and spatial modeling, her work contributes to NOAA’s stock assessments and supports efforts to better protect these whales in Hawaiian waters.
Find Kyleigh on Google Scholar and ORCID:
Kyleigh Fertitta
Kyleigh's Research Aims
Kyleigh’s thesis focuses on refining abundance estimates and understanding the spatial ecology of short-finned pilot whales across the Kauaʻi and Niʻihau region. These whales form small, demographically independent, island-associated groups that are vulnerable to localized disturbance, yet current stock assessments do not include population-specific abundance estimates for them. By integrating Cascadia Research Collective's long-term photo-identification data with spatial capture-recapture modeling, her research aims to generate the first spatially explicit density and population size estimates for this community that directly inform management.
For island-associated pilot whales around Kauaʻi and Niʻihau, she aims to:
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Apply spatial capture recapture methods capable of leveraging non-systematic survey data typical of rare or highly mobile species.
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Estimate population density and abundance using models that account for spatial and temporal variation in survey effort.
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Evaluate how detection and density vary across time.
Biography
Originally from San Jose, California, Kyleigh grew up visiting Santa Cruz, where she discovered her love for marine conservation. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Sustainability from CSU Chico in 2021, and spent her senior year studying at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa through the National Student Exchange program. After moving to Hawaiʻi, she began an internship with the Marine Mammal Research Program, working on projects involving Hawaiian monk seal acoustics, spinner dolphin abundance, and bottlenose dolphin demographics. Those experiences helped shape her path in marine science. Kyleigh is now focused on marine ecology, using spatial capture-recapture and photo-ID techniques to support conservation.